Adjustable metallic awning



April 18, 1961 E. J. LAPEROUSE ADJUSTABLE METALLIC AWNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1957 INVENTOR EDWARD J LAPEROUSE ATTORNEYS April 18, 1961 LAPERQUSE 2,979,789

ADJUSTABLE METALLIC AWNING Filed Dec. 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EDWARD J LAPEROUSE' ATTORNEYS I Patented Apr. 18, 1961 ADJUSTABLE METALLIC AWNING Edward J. Laperouse, 1206 Lafayette St., Houina, La. Filed Dec. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 703,816 4 claims. or. 29-515 This invention relates to awnings for attachment to the wall of a building or other structure to provide shade and more particularly to a metallic awning structure having end walls which are adjustable with relation to the roof portion.

Heretofore many types of metallic awnings'have been proposed and utilized but the majority of these utilize a structure which is substantially fixed as to size and consequently must be prefabricated in order to properly cover and provide shade for a wall opening of a given size. These prior art awnings provided no adjustment to compensate for errors in measurements or for adopting the structure to be utilized in connection with wall openings of different sizes. Consequently, it was necessary to accurately measure all openings to which awnings where to be applied and thereafter pre-fabricate the awn ings in accordance with such measurements. The lack of adjustable awning structure furthermore, frequently precluded the removal of an awning from one building and utilizing the same to cover a wall opening in another building. Consequently, the provision of an awning structure having adjustable end walls to permit varying the length thereof results in materially increasing the versatility and usefulness of the structure. I

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an adjustable metallic awning structure in which the end walls are adjustable with respect to the roof portion in order to provide an awning of variable length.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an adjustable metallic awning structure in which the end walls are adjustable with relation to the roof portion, such adjustment being provided at a minimum increase in cost over that of a conventional awning structure.

,A stillfurther object of the invention is the provision of an adjustable metallic awning structure in which the sidewalls are adjustable with respect to the roof portion and in which conventional roof members and sidewall members may be utilized, the elements providing adjustability being added thereto in a convenient and economical manner. p 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of an adjustable metallic awning structure in which the end walls are adjustable with relation to the roof portion and in which the connections between the end walls and roof portion permit such adjustability while still maintaining substantially weather-tight characteristics.

Afurther object of the invention is the provision of an adjustablernetallic awning structure in which the end walls are adjustable with relation to the roof portion thereby permitting fabrication of the awning and subsequent adjustment to fit a particular wall opening or other application.

. A still further object of the invention is the pr vision of an adjustable metallic awning structure in which the end walls are adjustable with relation to the roof portion and in which structural characteristics sufiicient to resist wind pressures and weather conditions comparable 2. to those withstood by normal or conventional awning structures of this nature are maintained.

- Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: V

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the roof portion and one sidewall of an awning constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the roof and .he manner of attaching the same to the upper purlin which is shown in section;

Fig. 3 a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 a fragmentary rear elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 2; a

Fig. 5 a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing the elements providing adjustment for the end wall, as well as the means for maintaining the same in adjusted position;

Fig. 6 a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 and showing the details of the clamping means for holding the end wall in adjusted position with relation to the roof portion;

Fig. 7 a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. l, but showing a slightly modified form of awning constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 8 a fragmentary sectional view showing part of the roof portion, as well as the combination upper purlin and flashing member, the latter element being shown in section;

Fig. 9 a fragmentary front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 a fragmentary sectional view showing the lower purlin attached to the roof portion as well as the slidable element embracing the lower purlin attached to the roof portion, as well as the slidable element embracing the lower purlin for providing adjustment of the end wall and the means for securing the end wall in adjusted po sition;

Fig. 11 a rear elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12, a sectional view taken substantially on the line 1212 of Fig. 7. 7

With continued reference to the drawing and particularly Figs. 1 to 6, there is shown an adjustable metallic awning constructed in accordance with this invention and which may well comprise a sloping roof portion 19 terminating at the lower edge in a substantially vertical downwardly extending skirt 11 and having sidewalls 12 adjustably attached to the roof portion 19 in a manner to be later described.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the roof portion 10 may well comprise a plurality of alternately disposed upwardly opening channel shaped roof members 13 and downwardly opening channel shaped roof members 14. Members 13 are provided with downwardly bent portions 15 on the upper edges of side flanges 16 and such portions 15 serve to interlock with upwardly bent portions 17 on side flanges 18 of the roof portions 14. A sufficie'nt number of roof members 13 and 14 may be utilized to provide a roof having the desired width.

As best shown in Fig. 5 each side edge of the roof portion 10 is provided with a roof flange 19 projecting outwardly therefrom and flange 19 is provided with a downwardly bent portion 20 on the inner edge thereof which interlocks with the upwardly bent portion 17 on the edge flange 18 of the outermost roof member 14. Thepurpose and operation of the .roof flanges 19 willbe later described.

An upper transversely disposed purlin 21 is secured to the roof portion 10 and the purlin 21 may well comprise a channel shaped section 22 having upwardly extending tabs 23, the upper ends of which are bent downwardly as shown at 24, to engage the upwardly extending edge flanges 16 of the room members 13 and thereby secure the roof members 13 and 14 to the purlin 21. The purlin 21 is also provided with an upwardly extending angularly disposed flange 25 for facilitating attachement of the purlin 21 and roof portion 10 secured thereto to'the wall of a building or other structure to which the awning is to be attached. 7

As best shown in Figs. 1, and 6, a lower purlin 26 extends transversely of the roof portion and is pro:

' vided with upstanding tabs 27 for attachment to the'roof portion 10 in order to provide a reinforcing framework and secure the purlin 26 thereto. The, purlin 26 is of channel cross section as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

Each sidewall 12 may comprisej a generally triangular panel made up of .a plurality of vertically disposed sheet tnetal wall members 28 secured together in edge to edge relationship in any desired manner and a horizontal reinforcing channel bar 29 is secured to the sidewall members 28 upwardly of the lower edge thereof and extends from the front to the rear edge in alignment with the lower purlin '26. An inwardly extending hollow rectangular bar 30 is secured to the front end of each reinforcing bar 29 by rivets 31' or in any other suitable manner and the rectangular bar 30 is slidably received in the channel of the lower purlin 26 as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Releasably clamp means in the form of'a strap is disposed around the lower purlin 2 6 and the rectangular bar 30 and the ends 33 of the clamping strap 32 are secured together by screw threaded fastening means or the like 34, in order to clamp the hollow rectangular bar 30 in adjusted position with relation to the lower purlin 26. v

- With particular reference to Figs. 1 .and 5, there is shown a flashing member 35 for connecting the sidewall 12 and the roof portion 10 and the flashing member 35 may comprise a downwardly extending side flange 36 secured to the sidewall 12, an intermediate inclined portion 37 and an inwardly extending top flange'38. The. top flange 38 terminates at the inner edge 39 in an outwardly extending portion 40 underlyingv the top flange 38 and the portion 40 is bent inwardly at the outer edge 41 to provide an inwardly extending portion 42 terminating in a head 43 and which, together with the underly ing portion 40 provides an inwardly opening groove 44 forslidably receiving the roof flange 19. V The horizontal reinforcing bar 29 may be provided at the inner end with means for receiving screw threaded fastening means or the like 45 to facilitate attachment to the wall of a building and also if desired, the inner edge 46 of each sidewall 12 maybe provided with a' flange or other suitable means to facilitate attachment of the same to the wall of a building. a I

As will be obvious from the above description, the roof portion 10 may be made in any desired width and provided at each side edge thereof with outwardly projecting roof flanges 19. The sidewalls 12 are assembled with the roof portion 10 merelyby inserting the rectangular hollow bar 30 in the channel of'the lower purlin 26 and at the same time, inserting the roof flanges 19 in the inwardly opening groove 44. Thereafter, the sidewalls 12 may be adjusted to any desired position and firmly secured in place by the clamping strap 32 embracing the lower purlin 26 and the hollow rectangular bar 30. Such adjustment will, of course, facilitate accurate attachment of the awning to a building structure and will also compensate for small variationsin size of wall 4 wardly opening and downwardly opening channel shaped roof members as in the structure described above and such roof members may be secured together in the same manner as that described above.

An upper transversely disposed combination purlin'and roof flashing 50 may be secured to certain of the roof members comprising the roof'portion 47 adjacent the upper edge thereof, the combination purlin and flashing 50 having a portion 51 overlapping the upper surface of the roof portion 47 and an upwardly extending angularly disposed flange 52 to'abut and be secured to the wall of a building to provide a weather-tight joint between such wall and the awning structure and also to support the awning thereon. The combination purlin and roof flashing may be secured to the roof portion 47 by selftapping screw threaded fastening means 53 or, of course, any other suitable fastening means may be employed.

A lower transversely disposed purlin 54 may, as best shown in Figs. 7, 10 and 11, comprise a Z bar having upstanding tabs 55 which-serve to secure the purlin 54 to the roof portion 47 and the purlin 54 is provided with edgeflanges 56 and 57, the purpose of which will be presently described.

Each side wall 49 may well comprise a generally triangular 'panel made up of a plurality of vertically disposed sheet metal wall members 58 and a horizontal reinforcing member 59 may be secured to the wall members 58 by screw threaded fastening means or the like 60 and the reinforcing member 59 may extend from the front edge to the rear edge of the sidewall 49. A rafter 61 may extend from the front end of the reinforcing member 59 to the rear upper edge of the sidewall 49 andthe rafter 61 may be secured to the sidewall 49 in any suitable manner. a a

A slip joint member 62 may be secured to the rafter 61 and extend inwardly of the awning in alignment with the lower purlin 54 and the slip joint member 62 is of a cross sectional shape complementary to the Z bar cross section' of the lower purlin 54. The slip joint 'member 62 is provided with channels 63 and 64 on each side edge thereof for slidably receiving the edge flanges 56 and 57 respectively of the lower purlin 54. i A set screw 65 maybe threadedly received in the slip joint member 62 for engaging the edge flange 57 of the lower purlin 54 in order to secure the slip joint member in adjusted position with relation to the lower purlin 54. i

A flashing member 66 similar to the flashing member 35 above described, may be utilized for connecting the sidewall 49 to the roof portion 47 and the roof portion 47 justment between the sidewall 49 and the roof portion 47 while maintaining a weather-tight joint therebetween.

The above described modified form of the invention operates in substantially the same manner as thefirst form of the invention and as will be seen from the above description, the principle difference between these two forms of the invention is in the particular adjustment means utilized to connect the sidewalls and the roof portion in a manner to permit adjustment therebetween. g

It will be seen that by the'above described invention there has been provided a relatively simple and, economical metallic awning construction whichreadily permits adjustment between the sidewalls and the roof portion-in order to facilitate fitting of the same to particular wall openings and for installing the awning structure on a building. 7

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawing and described in the Specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims. r

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable metallic awning comprising a sloping roof portion terminating at the lower edge in a substantially vertical downwardly extending skirt and sidewalls adjustably attached to said roof portion, said roof portion comprising an upper transversely disposed purlin adjacent the upper edge, a lower transversely disposed purlin adjacent the lower edge, said upper purlin having a flange for attachment to the wall of a building, said lower purlin being of channel cross section, a plurality of alternately disposed upwardly opening and downwardly opening channel shaped roof members secured to said purlins and a roof flange projecting outwardly from each side edge of said roof portion, each sidewall comprising a generally triangular panel, a horizontal reinforcing channel bar secured to said panel and extending from the front edge to the read edge in alignment with said lower purlin, an inwardly extending hollow rectangular bar secured to the front end of said reinforcing bar and slidably received in the channel of said lower purlin, releasable clamp means disposed around said lower purlin and said hollow bar to clamp said hollow bar in adjustable position and a flashing member connecting the upper edge of said panel and the side edge of said roof portion, said flashing member comprising a downwardly extending side flange secured to said panel, an intermediate inclined portion and an inwardly extending top flange, said top flange terminating at the inner edge in an outwardly extending portion underlying said top flange, said last named portion being bent inwardly at the outer edge to provide with said last named portion an inwardly opening groove slidably receiving said roof flange and means on said sidewalls for facilitating attachment to the wall of a building.

2. An adjustable metallic awning comprising a sloping roof portion terminating at the lower edge in a substantially vertical downwardly extending skirt and sidewalls adjustably attached to said roof portion, said roof portion comprising an upper transversely disposed purlin adjacent the upper edge, a lower transversely disposed purlin adjacent the lower edge, said lower purlin being of channel cross section, a plurality of roof members secured to said purlins and a roof flange projecting outwardly from each side edge of said roof portion, each sidewall comprising a generally triangular panel, a horizontal reinforcing bar secured to said panel and extending from the front edge to the rear edge in alignment with said lower purlin, an inwardly extending hollow bar secured to the front end of said reinforcing bar and slidably received in the channel of said lower purlin, means to clamp said hollow bar in adjusted position and a flashing member connecting the upper edge of said panel and the side edge of said roof portion, said flashing member comprising a downwardly extending side flange secured to said panel, an intermediate inclined portion and an inwardly extending top flange, said top flange terminating at the inner edge in an outwardly extending portion underlying said top flange, said last named portion being bent inwardly at the outer edge to provide with said last named portion an inwardly opening groove slidably receiving said roof flange.

3. An adjustable metallic awning comprising a sloping roof portion terminating at the lower edge in a substantially vertical downwardly extending skirt.and sidewalls adjustably attached to said roof portion, said roof portion comprising a plurality of alternately disposed upwardly opening and downwardly opening channel shaped roof members and a roof flange projecting outwardly from each side edge of said roof portion, an upper transversely disposed combination purlin and roof flashing secured to certain of said roof members adjacent the upper edge for supporting said roof portion and for facilitating attachment of'said awning to the wall of a building, a lower transversely disposed purlin comprising a Z-bar secured to certain of said roof members adjacent the lower edge, each sidewall comprising a generally triangular panel, a horizontal reinforcing member secured to said panel and extending from the front edge to the rear edge, a rafter extending from the front end of said reinforcing member to the rear edge of said panel and secured to said panel, a slip joint member secured to said rafter and extending inwardly in alignment with said lower purlin, said slip joint member being complementary to said Z-bar and having channels slidably receiving the edge flanges of said Z-bar, a set screw threadedly mounted in said slip joint member and engaging said Z-bar to secure said slip joint member in adjusted position and a flashing member connecting the upper edge of said panel and the side edge of said roof portion, said flashing member comprising a downwardly extending side flange secured to said panel, an intermediate inclined portion and an inwardly extending top flange, said top flange terminating at the inner edge in an outwardly extending portion underlying said top flange, said last named portion being bent inwardly at the outer edge to provide with said last named portion an inwardly opening groove slidably receiving said roof flange and means on said sidewalls for facilitating attachment to the wall of a building.

4. An adjustable metallic awning comprising a sloping roof portion terminating at the lower edge in a substantially vertical downwardly extending skirt and sidewalls adjustably attached to said roof portion, said roof portion comprising a plurality of roof members and a roof flange projecting outwardly from each side edge of said roof portion, an upper transversely disposed purlin secured to said roof portion adjacent the upper edge, a lower transversely disposed purlin comprising a Z-bar secured to said roof portion adjacent the lower edge, each side wall comprising a generally triangular panel, a slip joint member secured to said panel and extending inwardly in alignment with said lower purlin, said slip joint member being complementary to said Z-bar and having channels slidably receiving the edge flanges of said Z-bar, means to secure said slip joint member in adjusted position and a flashing member connecting the upper edge of said panel and the side edge of said roof portion, said flashing member comprising a downwardly extending side flange secured to said panel and an inwardly extending top flange, said top flange terminating at the inner edge in an outwardly extending portion underlying said top flange, said last named portion being bent inwardly at the outer edge to provide with said last named portion an inwardly opening groove slidably receiving said roof flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,539,705 Simonton Jan. 30, 1951 2,586,337 Hughes Feb. 19, 1952 2,639,477 Freeman May 26,- 1953 2,641,032 Freeman June 9, 1953 2,734,237 Sims Feb. 14, 1956 

